Northern Vietnam Natural & Cultural Tour – 10 Days

At 8.00 am, you will be picked up at the hotel for 2.5 hours drive to the south of Hanoi to Tam Coc, where we stop at a local restaurant for lunch with spring rolls and chicken noodle soup. After that, take a sampan riding along a river for relaxing and enjoying the sensation of being gently paddled by hands in a little boat. Immerse yourself in this astounding feelings on the blue-green river, and explore the mysteries of Tam Coc (the three caves).

Wake up this morning with the sounds of the forest all around us then continue the trip with the guide’s recommendation and head out for a trek through the lush rainforest that makes up the park to find other bird kinds. We will visit the endangered primate rehab center with over six species of gibbon from Vietnam forests and then the turtle endangered species rehab center with both water and forest turtles being saved and bred. Then back to the car and overnight in Hanoi at our West Lake Home Hotel.

After a restful morning, move to Pan Pacific Hotel to sit on the 20th-floor panorama restaurant and watch the city for several hours as the sunset, and then come down one floor to registration, music show and an evening chat with Ada Zohar.

Today, visit Tran Quoc pagoda, the biggest pagoda in Hanoi (over 1000 years old) then cross the street to the monument at the site where John McCain’s plane crashed. After that, reach the Temple of Literature, which was originally built as a temple to Confucius and became a Confucian University. The courtyard contains large stone monuments with the names of those who passed their Ph.D. examinations over 700 years!

Pick up at our hotel in Hanoi after breakfast, and take 180 KM to Halong Bay in the Northeast of Vietnam. Halong Bay has been recognized by UNESCO as the World Natural Heritage thanks to its universal values of landscape, geology, and geomorphology, respectively in 1994 and 2000 and is one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

Pick up at the hotel at 8 AM then drive to Huong Pagoda (Perfume Pagoda) in the western Hanoi. Perfume Pagoda is a vast complex of Buddhist temples and shrines built into the limestone Huong Tich Mountain. Its main festival begins from the first month of the Lunar calendar and lasts for about 3 months with a large number of pilgrims from all over Vietnam.

After breakfast at the hotel in Hanoi at 8 AM, we will drive to Mai Chau Valley – the rural district of Hoa Binh Province, which is 160 KM away from Hanoi. On arrival, we will have lunch in a house-on-stilt in Poom Coong Village which is the home to Thai minority people. This region is well known for its stilt houses of Thai ethnic minority made of bamboo and timber. These houses are built 10–12 feet up from the ground in order to avoid floods and dangerous wild animals.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight. Trip ends.

Yes, the itinerary can work well for mature travelers who enjoy nature, culture and sightseeing, particularly because it is private and customizable. However, several activities involve walking, steps, forest trails and uneven terrain. The itinerary can be discussed and adjusted according to individual mobility and preferred travel pace.

Yes. Hanoi Local Tour states that the itinerary is fully customizable. Travelers can communicate their specific requirements through the inquiry form.

Yes. The itinerary includes a visit to Mai Chau, where travelers explore Thai ethnic villages, traditional stilt houses, rice fields and local daily life.

A 10-day itinerary provides enough time to combine Hanoi with major natural and cultural destinations such as Ninh Binh, Cuc Phuong National Park, Halong Bay, Perfume Pagoda and Mai Chau without limiting the journey to one-day sightseeing trips.